Etiquette: basic general rules of conduct at the table. How to arrange cutlery on the table

At least once in a lifetime, every person has come across such a thing as table setting. Whether it is preparing a home feast or going to an expensive restaurant, where several plates on the tables are complemented by more than one appliance. In fact, there are not many rules that you need to know for proper serving table.

Before you start lay out cutlery on the table according to the rules of etiquette, it is worth considering the dishes that will be served. Usually glasses, glasses, cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons are placed on the table. You need to start with plates, which you will then lay over with the rest of the devices. Everything you need in the first place should be closest to make it more convenient to take. And even if the owner has planned a ten-course menu, this does not mean that you need to put a whole mountain of plates in front of the guest and build a fence of forks. A classic serving is considered to be an arrangement of no more than three devices.

Schemes on how to lay out cutlery

Video instruction on how to properly lay out devices

Rules for laying out cutlery on the table

It will be important to observe the distance between the devices. It should be about a centimeter from each device and from the edge of the table. It is rather an aesthetic rule to achieve an even distribution of all appliances on the table. Therefore, you do not need to run around the table with a ruler and measure the exact distance.

Forks should lie to the left of the plate. They are placed upside down. Classic serving consists of three forks. The main one lies first from the plate, then comes the fork for fish, and the final fork is for salads. To the right are knives. Their blades are directed towards the plate, and the number of knives is also three. The first knife is the largest for dinner, the second is for fish and the smaller one is for snacks. After the last knife, spoons are placed on the right. If the menu provides for serving first courses, then a large spoon is located between the knife for fish and for snacks. If there is no fish, then between the big knife and the diner.

The arrangement of plates is as follows: first, a plate for the first course is placed, and on top of it - for an appetizer. If butter is served on the table, then on the left there should be a plate with bread and a butter knife. Dessert cutlery is placed at the top of the plate. The knife goes first, the fork comes second, and the spoon goes farthest from the plate. All glasses are arranged in height from left to right. The very first on the left, regardless of height, is a champagne glass.

The knife has been a versatile item since ancient times. The knife was used in hunting, in war, it was also used at the table. Time passed, habits, and the needs of people changed, knives began to appear that differed from each other in their purpose, as a result special kind- table knives.

All table knives have a blunt oval blade end. This has happened historically, because sharp knife could become a weapon in tough past times. The spoon appeared later than the knife, but earlier became a cutlery. They carried a spoon and a knife behind the top of their boots. The rich had special cases for spoons.

In ancient times, it was customary to carry cutlery with you, since it was not known where you would have to dine. In the fifteenth century in Europe, a fork appears in everyday life. The fork appeared in limited quantities and began to be used only by the nobility. The first forks brought to Russia by Peter the Great had two prongs.

Gradually, along with changes in the shape of the fork, the number of teeth increased. Over time, there were three, and then four.

How to use cutlery in a restaurant

According to etiquette, there are several rules for using cutlery in restaurants. Each dish has a specific cutlery.

Snacks:

• The feast according to the rules begins with appetizers. Snack cutlery are: fork and knife.The length of the snack knife is equal to the diameter of the special snack plate. It is acceptable if the knife is a little longer.The fork may be slightly shorter in length.
• Snack cutlery is provided for each cold appetizer and some hot dishes (for scrambled eggs, fried or). Next, the first and second main courses are brought to the table. According to the rules of etiquette, it is necessary to change the cutlery.
• For a table knife, the length should also correspond to the diameter of the dinner plate, the spoon and fork can be a little shorter. If there are no special utensils on the table, a dinner fork, spoon or knife is used to put portions from a common plate to a separate plate.

• For fish dishes, it is customary to serve cutlery for, this is a special knife and fork. By appearance the knife resembles a spatula and has a blunt end. A fish fork has four prongs. They are shorter than the tines of a classic fork. Fish cutlery is often needed only for a hot fish dish.
• A sprat fork is a rather rare auxiliary device, it has a wide base and five cloves, which are interconnected by a bridge. This fork can be used not only for, but also for other fish, for example,.

• Dessert is also served. special devices, this is a dessert spoon, fork, knife. The dessert knife has a sharp tip, the dessert fork has three cloves. K, it is also supposed to put a dessert knife and fork.
• They eat sweet dishes that do not need to be cut with a dessert spoon - berry mousse, sweet porridge, co. It is wrong to serve a dessert spoon for broth in a cup. Light broth or soup served in cups should be drunk. From such cups it is inconvenient to eat even with a dessert spoon.
• Fruits that will be for dessert are supposed to put their own cutlery. Fruit knives and forks are slightly smaller than dessert ones.

• For coffee and tea use separate spoons - coffee and tea. A teaspoon can also be used for soft-boiled cocktails. And a small coffee spoon is served with espresso coffee or brewed in an oriental way.

How to properly use auxiliary cutlery

There are also auxiliary cutlery. These include: spoons, knives, forks, tongs. There are also devices for cheese, as well as a knife-saw for cutting.

Auxiliary forks serve herring (two-horned), a long fork with two cloves - crayfish, crabs, a fork with three cloves and.

Of the auxiliary spoons, you can name a special spoon for salad. The well-known ladle with which soup, compote is poured, is also a spoon. For a very small spoon, it is placed in a salt shaker.

Among the auxiliary cutlery, one can also name tongs. With the help of large confectionery tongs, you can shift flour products. Small confectionery tongs shift sugar, marshmallows, chocolates, marmalade.

It is impossible not to say about table shoulder blades. The caviar spatula is used for shifting. With a special rectangular spatula, meat and vegetable dishes. The small figured spatula is intended for pate.

Cutlery also includes wooden chopsticks. They appeared along with Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. In these countries, sticks are a traditional cutlery. There are wooden, bone, plastic, metal sticks.

General rules for the use of cutlery :

• The knife is never held in the left hand.
• A spoon or fork is brought to the mouth. When a spoon or fork is brought, they are held parallel to the table. Do not blow on a hot dish.
• If you need to tilt the plate to finish the leftover soup, tilt it correctly in a position away from you.
• During the pause in the process of eating, cutlery is placed on a plate, next to the meal.
• At the end of the meal, the cutlery should be left on the plate parallel to each other.
• The knife has a point to the fork. This means that the plate can be removed.

Watch a video on how to use cutlery:

A home cutlery set is usually limited to a simple trio of a knife, spoon and fork. However, any of us may find ourselves at a banquet, a dinner party, or simply in a status restaurant, where the atmosphere and menu will dictate completely different rules for using cutlery. And knowing them will be absolutely not superfluous.

Cutlery: general rules of etiquette

• Table setting is the first clue. What lies on the right side is supposed to be taken in the right hand, and vice versa.
• If there are difficulties, you can delay the start of the meal a little and see how others are doing it.
• Dessert devices are placed with their handles towards the hand with which they need to be taken.
• The knife is always held exclusively in right hand, regardless of whether the left one is free.
• It is unacceptable to first cut a whole piece of food into pieces, and then put down the knife and eat them with a fork. There is more - shifting it to the right hand.
• If there are several forks or spoons on the table, you need to start with those that are further from the plate as the dishes are served.
• Holding the instruments almost vertically is a bad form. Strive for them horizontal position while eating.
• If you need to transfer the device to another person, hold it by the middle. But it is better to ask the waiter about it.
• You can’t put food on a fork with a knife, they can only slightly tweak what is taken with a fork.
• Broths, even those served in a cup with a handle (broth pot), are eaten with a spoon, like any soups and other liquid dishes. The spoon is held in the right hand. At the very end, when there is little broth left in the cup, it is permissible to drink it. But not from a plate!
• After the dish is eaten, even if it is not the last one, the used cutlery is placed not on the table and not on the edge of the plate, but completely on it. If there is a desire to convey to the restaurant workers that the food was tasteless, then crosswise, passing the knife between the tines of the fork. The position of the cutlery on the plate is a whole language that is desirable to know in order to avoid misunderstanding with the waiter.

• Sausages, cut and whole sausages and cheese from a common plate are first transferred to their own plate, and then cut off one piece at a time and eaten.
• Bread and sandwiches do not require any appliances. However, not everything is so simple with them. They are supposed to be first transferred to your plate (usually a separate pie or just a snack bar is served) and only then eat. But not biting from the whole, but breaking off in parts.
• Cutting vegetables is not accepted. Including boiled potatoes. It is crushed with the edge of a fork, but not put on it.
• Compotes from kremanka are not drunk over the edge, but eaten with a spoon, like ice cream or cream. After that, the spoon is placed on a dessert plate, and not left in the bowl.
• Pieces of watermelon or melon are taken from a common plate by hand, if they are not peeled. In this case, the watermelon is placed sideways, and the melon - crust down. Next, we act with the help of devices, cutting off in portioned pieces - everything is normal, as is done with meat.
• Desserts (cakes, cakes) are eaten with a spoon only if they are soft enough and do not crumble. Otherwise, you can take them with your hands or break them off piece by piece. The fork does not need to be used.

What appliances to eat fish and seafood?

Fish in any form, except in certain specified cases, does not allow a knife. But if something in the form of a spatula is served with a dish, this is what will replace it for us. Feel free to take it in your right hand and carefully separate the grain from the chaff, that is, the flesh from the bones. If nothing but a fork was given to the fish, then shift it to the right, and left hand arm with a piece of bread. But do not eat it with fish, but only correct the pieces.

The most difficult case is fish served whole. First you need to separate from the ridge and eat the upper sirloin, then use a spatula or fork to separate all the bones entirely and set them aside. It remains to eat the fillet of the second half. After the fish is done with, the plate should be a neat skeleton, not a messy mountain of bones.

Shellfish cannot be eaten without helping yourself with your fingers. But this does not mean that the matter should be taken completely into literally this word. For lobsters, crayfish, oysters and other things, there are special devices depending on their type - a spatula, a short fork, tweezers.

Pickled or salted herring, smoked eel and others solid types fish allow the use of a knife.

Read also:

• No thanks! How to politely refuse an unloved dish?
• All ladies do it! Rules of etiquette for a social event

If the salad is served in a common salad bowl, you should use a special spoon to transfer it to your plate. Sometimes a snack plate is placed in front of the guest, and a portioned cold dish is behind him. In this case, it is necessary to deal with it, as with a common salad bowl, imposing food in portions.

No matter how large the leaf lettuce is, it is not supposed to cut it into smaller ones.

Hold the fork with the convex side up or down? In the left hand - only up, in the right both options are acceptable.

Unlike in Italy, where spaghetti is handled with just one fork, in our restaurants this dish is often served with two utensils - a fork and a spoon. In this case, the spoon serves only as a safety net and is held in the left hand. Do not try to wind a lot - it will not work. Enough to capture 2-4 "macaroni". In the case of very large lengths, they can be cut. The fork is held in the right hand and rotates towards itself. If the cheese is served separately, it is added independently to taste.

Every day there are more and more restaurants in Tashkent, and offers to spend an unforgettable evening are more and more tempting. We offer you to immerse yourself in restaurant etiquette and learn some simple rules literate consumers restaurant service. By stacking cutlery one way or another on your plate, you give various signs to the waiter, which can be caught and taken into account by competent staff.

Suppose during the feast you need to “powder your nose” or “breathe fresh air”, and you are removed from the line of sight of the waiter. AT official duties the waiter includes maintaining order, cleanliness and so on. In this case, to show that the plate and cutlery “do not need to be taken away!” - use a categorical gesture.

"You don't have to take it away!"

The work of a professional waiter is invisible to guests. Being under professional courtship, you do not even have time to notice how snack plates are changed, appliances are updated, snacks are laid out, drinks are topped up. Sometimes you just want to stop and take a break.

As for the "pause", there are several options:

"Pause"

1. Provided there is an abundance of goodies on your plate, you can only use free place along the rim. Based on this, we put the cutlery, touching the edge of the plate with the blade, touching the surface of the table with the handles. Knife on the right, fork on the left.

"Pause"

2. In case free space put the knife and fork on the plate, the letter "L". The tip of the knife looks to the left, and the tines of the fork look to the right, while the handles of the appliances hang over the table. The distance between the tines of the fork and the knife can be a sign that the dish was rather small in size, in other establishments the same dish is served in a larger output.

"Pause"

3. Classic regular pause. If you are only using a snack or dinner fork, then the fork will be on the right.

We make it clear that the meal is over and you need to move on to the next dish. There are several gestures to indicate this:

Finished the meal

Devices can be arranged, as on a clock, the time is half past five. This option is convenient for collecting used dishes: the waiter does not cross the guest's personal space.

Finished the meal

Lay the fork and knife parallel to each other, handles down. The tip of the knife and the tines of the fork should be pointing up. A large distance between the tines of the fork and the blade of the knife may indicate that the dish was large enough or satisfying enough to satisfy your taste buds for the evening.

Finished the meal

The following neutral option does not indicate the size in any way
of the dish served, may indicate that everything was quite harmonious. It is also convenient for waiters when collecting dishes.

“Looking forward to the next dish!”

If you are in a hurry, there is an option to show the staff that today the service will be fast, the serving of dishes and the collection of dishes will be prompt. Fold the fork with the knife cross over, with the knife edge to the left, the fork tines should look up.

“The dish is simply excellent!”

If you were unexpectedly pleased with the served dish, and you don’t want to leave the workers of the invisible front unattended, put together another tricky combination. The waiter will definitely pay attention to the friendly gesture and will definitely bring good news to the cook.

"Did not like"

It also happens that the dish does not correspond to visual and taste representations. The reasons may be great multitude but the fact remains in your plate. Such symbolism will not be particularly pleasant for the staff, but there is reason to ask about the underlying reasons for such an assessment. The waiter can clarify the shortcomings and, after agreeing with the manager, there is a chance to leave a good impression of the establishment with a small decorated dessert from the establishment itself.

"Service was not good"

If you come across a waiter with bad mood, moreover - he ruined it for you, there is an option that can make it clear that "the service was not pleasant!". Such a gesture can be used if, when serving, they first brought the steaks, when the steaks were already half eaten, they brought the bread, and when the steaks were over, they brought the sauce to the steaks. It doesn't happen very often, does it? Based on the fact that the serving and attendants were the opposite - we put the devices of the “no need to take away” option and turn the plate 180 °. Devices can be directly put up by handles. After such an attitude of the service personnel to the guests, the location of the devices on the left or right is not taken into account. The very fact that the service is wrong is shown by inverted instruments.

"Lack of a friendly smile"

In the case of quite tolerable service, but lack of hospitality, in the process of eating food, you can make a demonstrative short-term pause to the attendants with the gesture “Not enough friendly smile!”. So you remind the waiters of hospitality, courtesy, goodwill and smiling.

"Bring the Complaint Book"

The most “terrible” gesture of the language of cutlery is “bring a mournful book!”. As a basis, we take the combination “finished the meal” with a parallel arrangement of devices and figuratively turn it over 180 °. Devices can be placed directly on the surface of the dish with the handles up. Which device is on the left, which is on the right, in this situation it does not matter.

“I liked everything very much!”

If you were satisfied with the dishes, service and plan to become a regular guest, use the combination "I liked everything very much!". The only caveat of this position is that it is undesirable to insert the knife into the middle tines of the fork, as this will be interpreted as “I didn’t like the dish!”. To contact the blade of the knife with the teeth of the fork, you must use the extreme teeth.

“Everything is just wonderful!”

Finally, I would like to present a slightly flirtatious gesture, similar to a sitting girl in a “leg to foot” position. The most important thing is that this capricious person was 100% satisfied. They raised the tone and mood, and this is all thanks to the well-coordinated work of the whole team of the hospitable establishment. The guest can address this gesture as a token of gratitude to his companion.

Knowing such simple combinations of instrument locations, you can show your attitude to everything that happens, but also give signs to competent staff. The latter, in turn, will be able to quickly correct the situation, if it is still possible.

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Or at a dinner party, it can be difficult for an inexperienced person to figure out how to properly use all these countless cutlery. It won’t take long to get confused, remembering the purpose of several dozen forks and spoons. It will not be possible to study the rules for using cutlery immediately. The ability to eat aesthetically while maintaining a relaxed look is a whole art.
In order to study the table rules of etiquette, cutlery, their types, purpose, it will take time. People who have been taught since childhood definitely have advantages, but others should also start to understand this art.
Information: why and for what all cutlery, will help you feel more confident in any society, it is easy to start useful links, it is beautiful to enjoy the most exquisite food.
styles table etiquette there are two - continental(for Europe) and American. Each of them implies significant differences in behavior at the table. In the European style of etiquette, every movement of the hands, the position of the items left on the plate are important. According to one theory, it has remained unchanged since the 17th century. Other researchers argue that the Napoleonic era greatly simplified etiquette in favor of convenience.

traditional cutlery

Every item on the table has a purpose. There are several sets that are customary to use in a solemn setting:

• Large dining set: contains the usual spoon, knife, fork, which is used to eat most dishes.
• snack set: items in it are somewhat smaller than ordinary dining rooms.
• dessert set: small in size, but the items are similar to ordinary ones.
• Garnish forks: there are two of them, one has 4 teeth.
• sauce spoon.
• meat set: consists of 2 forks of different sizes with 2 prongs and a knife.
• Steak knife.
• Salad spoons and salad tongs.
• Fish set.

Cutlery serving

Correctly setting the table for guests is the task of the waiters or the owners of the house. The cutlery on the table is arranged in strict accordance with the order in which the dishes are served, so it is easier to navigate which fork and what to eat. Under each item you need to lay a napkin. Which side the spoon and fork lies on depends on whether the guest is right-handed or left-handed.
is needed not only for aesthetics, its purpose is also the convenience of eating. In accordance with the cutlery, lying in a certain order, the rules should be clear: how and why to use them, why they are here. So guests can understand where the fork or knife is for fish, with which fork they eat salad. During meals, the mood of others, the atmosphere is very important. The location of food utensils according to etiquette has been determined for centuries, it serves as a good helper to look aesthetically pleasing and dignified.

How to properly hold a knife and fork according to etiquette

In which hand to hold a knife with a fork depends on the style of etiquette. According to American You can eat pre-cut food with your right hand. The fork is first in the left hand, then the knife is put on the plate, and it can be shifted to the right. This method is convenient for everyone who is not used to frills while eating. You can take a knife only when necessary. It must be put aside on the edge of the dish.


The European style is more strict about which hand to hold the knife and which one to hold the fork. Do not let go of cutlery while eating. The fork must always be held in the left hand.
If the food does not require cutting, hold the fork correctly in the right hand and use it like a spatula to break off a piece of chopped steak or scoop up a portion of the side dish. This method does not require special skills. You can just eat soft food with a fork or.
The upper third of the handle of cutlery items must be clasped with the whole palm in order to eat them more confidently, without risking dropping them.

There are 3 ways to hold the fork:

You can cut meat with a knife only towards yourself in order to avoid accidents. It is unacceptable to produce extraneous sounds by touching the edges or bottom of the dishes with appliances.

cutlery language

The knife and fork on the plate can tell a lot to the waiter. Gestures with two cutlery will help confident communication with service personnel during a meal. After eating, put the knife and fork in parallel so that the dirty plate is taken away.
If you want to praise the cook, you need to place the items parallel to the edge of the table towards the left on your plate. You can put the fork and knife far apart, which serves as a signal that the guest is full, good taste food.
Bad service cutlery signs can be filed in three ways:

• Cross them by holding the knife between the teeth (did not like the food);
• Objects are located with their handles up at an angle to each other (the attitude is unfriendly);
• Items lie parallel towards the edge of the table (administrator call).

There is another flirtatious signal. Cross objects slightly. Above is a knife. This speaks of a great mood after a wonderful dinner.
To change dishes faster, objects must be crossed perpendicularly. This is a signal that the guest is in a hurry.
A sign of a pause so that the plate is not taken away will be objects crossed or located on the edge of the plate.

Dessert tableware

There are separate serving items for desserts and coffee. The tea ceremony of Europeans is not as complicated as the Chinese one, but cutlery must be put no less.

Tongs, spoon for sugar.

Cake spatula.

Cheese knife.

Spatula, tongs for baking.

Coffee spoon.

Fruit set.


Compote spoon. It is customary for her to eat boiled fruits along with syrup.

Sour cream spoon. She is as fat as a ladle.

dessert set.

Special cutlery

Some appliances are served only with certain dishes.

Lobster fork and lobster tongs. Break the shell with tongs. A two-toothed small fork is used to get meat from the claws.

Devices for black caviar. With the help of a special spatula, caviar can be safely transferred to a plate or sandwich.


Tongs and a small snail fork. They get tender meat from the shell.




Knife and fork for oysters.